So I see that the recently refreshed BMW 1-series is going to be facing 3 new competitors in the near future. Which one takes your fancy? IMHO:
- New Merc A-class looks good in the photos, but 5-years too late to muscle-in on BMW buyers?
- New Audi A3 looks rather dull and hasn't evolved much at all;
- Volvo will pitch their new V40 - are they out of their league? Does it look like a shrunken XC60 in profile?! And how on earth is it expected to replace both their S40 and V50?!
Reckon BMW bosses will sleep well for the foreseeable future. And at nigh-on 20 grand for a new 116i in the UK I bet they can afford lots of fluffy pillows!
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www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17300424
Very fluffy pillows. Supporting quality British jobs as well.
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Remember Volvo now has the V60 to fill the smaller estate niche. (I once saw a Volvo exec quoted as saying, "It wouldn't be a Volvo estate if it didn't have the third window longer than the second." Presumably Volvo waited for him to retire before conceiving the V60.)
Anyway, that leaves the V40 to replace the V50 for those who bought it just because they don't want a saloon. In any case, I suspect Volvo has noticed that hatches sell well in this size, and now that it doesn't have to avoid stealing Focus sales from Ford, a hatch makes much more sense. It won't have a handbrake, though. }:---(
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- Never been a "Volvo person", though I respect the brand greatly.
- Soured on BMW
- Love the Audi A5, but my opinions of Audi as a company would never get past the moderators.
So it would have to be the Merc A-class for me (though it's a very nice car, so that would be no hardship!). It would have to be a diesel. I wouldn't buy a Merc and then have to put up with a Renault petrol engine.
However, I expect the upcoming Skoda Rapid 5-door to be a better option than any of them. Shame it's a VW under the skin, but it is made by those very nice efficient Czech people.
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None of em do much for me TBH.
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>> - Volvo will pitch their new V40 -
Although smaller than my current barge, I do like the look of the new V40 and might have given it some thought as a replacement for mine over the next 12 months or so.
However, it appears to have this stop / start function that shuts off the engine whenever you stop for more than a second or two, and I do not think that is likely to appeal to many low mileage drivers like myself.
I have never had much interest in the smaller BMW and Audi models.
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I like Volvos and had an excellent experience with a 2001 S60. Problem is, none of the newer Volvos I have tried have that same feel of solidity and unbreakability.
The S60 literally had not a single creak or rattle at 150k. The seats barely looked sat in, the engine and gearbox were smooth and silent, the only things that ever needed topping up between services were the fuel and screenwash, and it was brilliantly reliable. It had a quarter of a million miles in it easily by my reckoning. I just dont get that same feel from the new stuff, nice as it is.
Last edited by: DP on Fri 9 Mar 12 at 13:24
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Did you ever change the cam belt on your S60 DP? If so, can you remember how much it cost and how often it needed to be done?
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You don't mind me asking Londoner what is wrong with Audi as a Company?
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I can answer the cambelt question, Humph. The interval is 96,000 miles (presumably 160,000km in the minds of Volvo's engineers), or eight years for a petrol engine, ten for a diesel. I had mine (diesel) done in 2009 by a Volvo dealer, and I think it contributed about £250 to a bill of about £600 for that service.
Remember that this applies only to the five-cylinder engines; Volvo fours and those they got from Ford play by different rules.
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Oh, OK thanks WDB. Just your other thread got to me thinking that if I ever decided to opt out of the company scheme I'd be on a similar hunt to you really in terms of types / models of cars. At 40k miles + a year though it probably doesn't especially add up but you never know. Depends what I could negotiate I guess. Bit wary of cam belts. Bad experience 3 times !
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The cambelt on mine had been done at the last service before I bought it. I remember the total invoice for the service was about £750 but I dont know what the belt change contributed to it. The dealer also changed the auxiliary belt and changed a couple of bulbs.
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>> You don't mind me asking Londoner what is wrong with Audi as a Company?
If you are still interested, get the mods to contact me, and I'll send a reply through them.
Best wishes, L.
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BMW 1 Series E81/E87 - New rivals launched at Geneva Motor Show? - Focusless
